1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to catalyst systems for flame retardants and particularly concerns flame retardant finishing of textiles wherein the flame retarded textile has excellent hand and a high degree of flame retardancy.
2. The Prior Art
Numerous catalysts for curing flame retardants in textile finishing processes are known. It can be difficult, however, to durably and effectively flame retard textiles without detrimentally affecting the hand (softness) of the fabric. Thus, it is often necessary to sacrifice either hand or flame retardant effectiveness in processes for flame retardant finishing of textiles. This is due to the requirement that relatively high add-ons (weight percent of chemicals applied to a textile) of flame retardants are often necessary to achieve effective flame retardancy with resultant poor hand, i.e. stiffness in the flame retarded fabric.
In accordance with the present invention, the combination of copper sulfate and hydrogen peroxide effectively catalyzes the finishing of textiles with unsaturated flame retardants. The flame retarded textiles have excellent hand, even with high add-ons of the flame retardants.